Thursday, July 30, 2009

Payday

Calories eaten yesterday: 1379
Fat: 27g (20%)
Carbs: 87g (29%)
Protein: 156g (51%)
Weight this morning: 128.6
Calories burned in exercise today: 277

Ug...I am such a fat pig. My calories yesterday were way too high. I have no metabolism and yet keep eating these huge amounts. :( Of course, I gained a pound since yesterday. :-p I'm eating lighter today.

I forgot to turn on my alarm last night and overslept. I was running to get out of the house because I had extra laundry to do and needed extra time. I oversleep because my Armour makes me need more sleep. I have more energy during the day, but I sometimes have days where I am more tired. :-p I'm having blood tests soon and that will let me know if I am taking too much.

Today exercise was a lot of walking. I walked to the laundromat and back. I washed everything. I separated the whites and colors and bleached the whites. I washed the sheets and blankets on my bed. Everything.

After getting back and putting the clothes away I walked down to the train station, went one stop, and then walked to work from there. It's payday so I stopped at WalMart for some basics like hair conditioner and coffee. Total walking time - about 1 hour 35 minutes.

I paid a couple bills, including the water bill which is always high because it only comes quarterly. I'm saving enough money for groceries tomorrow. My sister's (paper) check arrived so I'll be cashing that to pay my phone bill (really high this month because I got a new phone and the discount hasn't come through yet). I'll hopefully have enough left over from that for groceries next week plus a little more toward my credit card. With the iPod getting stolen and having to buy another, my credit card balance is quite high right now.

Tomorrow I'm getting groceries and hopefully going to bed early. Saturday after church Brad and I will go to Applebee's for Mochatinis (my payday treat - photo), but we're both too broke to afford dinner out. I also hope to hit Trader Joe's for a new cat scratcher, and Tuttimelon for some non-fat, low-sugar chocolate frozen yogurt. Yummy and not too unhealthy.

I'll be back on Sunday with my weigh-in.

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Wednesday, July 29, 2009

James White vs. Harold Camping debate links

Calories eaten yesterday: 1337
Fat: 30g (21%)
Carbs: 67g (21%)
Protein: 188g (58%)
Weight this morning: 127.8
Calories burned in exercise today: 393

I was sooo hungry yesterday and ate an extra chicken breast; that's why my calories are so high on a day I didn't go to the gym. :-p I ate more calories yesterday than I burned. :( I'm still very hungry, but stuffing myself with salads.

Feel blah today. Just tired. Dragged myself to the gym and did an hour of weight training and 40 minutes on one of the new elliptical machines. Walked to work from the train. I bought salads on the way in.

Tomorrow is major laundry - wash everything and bleach the whites. Oh fun.

Okay, here's the links to the two parts James White vs. Harold Camping debate. These links go directly to the mp3s:

White vs. Camping, Part 1
White vs. Camping, Part 2

I hear they will have both guests on alone in the next two days - James White the first day and Harold Camping the next, each taking calls. I will post both days of that if it happens.

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Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Hunger...

Calories eaten yesterday: 1310
Fat: 30g (22%)
Carbs: 70g (24%)
Protein: 165g (54%)
Weight this morning: 128
Calories burned in exercise today: 79

I slept in and decided to take it easy today. I did just under a half hour of walking down the train station and that was it. Hopefully tomorrow I can hit the gym again.

I am so damn hungry today! I ate over 1300 calories yesterday so I don't know why, but I am. I even had a cup of eggs for breakfast, but I might as well have eaten oatmeal for how hungry I am. Grrr... I am doing so well on my weight - 128 this morning! Who wouldn't guessed that?

I know there is bread and peanut butter down the hall and I want to binge on it so badly, but I know my body. One binge equals several weeks of trying to get back where I was before. I can't give in now! I did eat an extra chicken breast - that shouldn't ruin my diet too badly.

Tomorrow I'll post the links to the White vs. Camping debate. The Iron Sharpens Iron website didn't have the whole debate (30 minutes of technical problems so only half of the debate actually aired) and the sound quality wasn't as good so I'll use the links from Dr. White's website.

In case anyone wonders about my interest in this debate, it's simple. I work for Family Radio and Mr. Camping signs my paychecks. As for James White, I have listened to his Dividing Line podcast for several months and really enjoy them. He makes me think about issues and that's a good thing.

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Monday, July 27, 2009

Upcoming: James White vs. Harold Camping Debate!

Calories eaten yesterday: 867
Fat: 21g (24%)
Carbs: 37g (19%)
Protein: 117g (57%)
Weight this morning: 130.8
Calories burned in exercise today: 388

Went to the gym today. Did one hour of weight training, 30 minutes on the stairmaster (I was dripping sweat), and 10 minutes on one of the new elipticals. I had my post-workout protein shake and then walked to work from my train stop (30 minutes).

Tomorrow hopefully I can sleep in and just do a lot of walking for my exercise.

I wanted to talk a little about my job, a video response, and an upcoming debate. As you may know, I work for Family Radio. The president of Family Radio is Harold Camping, and a few years ago he theologically went totally off the deep end and started proclaiming that the church age is over and people should leave their churches. Here is an in-depth video response from Dr. James White about this. Since then, Camping has set a date for the rapture - May 21, 2011, and another date for the end of the world - October 21, 2011.

Dr. White will be debating Mr. Camping tomorrow, July 28, and Wednesday July 29th. The latest update I found is here. Here is the Dividing Line link Dr. White mentions to listen to the debate. I will post links to the mp3s after the programs have aired.

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Sunday, July 26, 2009

Week 109 Weigh-In (Goal again!)

Start: 154
Week 1: 150 (-4) - Week 25: 137.6
Week 50: 138.4 - Week 75: 137.6
Week 100: 140 - Week 101: 138.4 (-1.6)
Week 102: 138.6 (+0.2) - Week 103: 139.4 (+0.8)
Week 104: 136.4 (-3) - Week 105: 137.8 (+1.4)
Week 106: 137.8 (-0) - Week 107: 138.2 (+0.4)
Week 108: 137.4 (-0.8) - Week 109: 136 (-1.4)
Total loss since starting a low-fat diet: -18
Total loss since I began dieting and exercising in 2004: -70

Woot! I see my goal weight again. I know it won't hold, but I was so thrilled to see that number when I stepped on the scale today! :) I guess eating a lot of salads with wine vinegar for dressing is helping.

Ok, now to catch up on other stats.

Calories eaten Thursday: 1204
Fat: 18g (14%)
Carbs: 85g (30%)
Protein: 123g (43%)

Calories eaten Friday: 1563
Fat: 26g (16%)
Carbs: 81g (22%)
Protein: 153g (42%)

Weight Thursday morning: 130
Weight Friday morning: 127.4
Weight Saturday morning: 129.6
Weight this morning: 136

Calories burned in exercise Thursday: 262
Calories burned in exercise Friday: 70
Calories burned in exercise Saturday: 66
Calories burned in exercise today: 290

Spent Friday alone. Brad was busy doing stuff so I bought groceries and then spent the afternoon cutting salad and doing household chores. I went to bad early since I'd already eaten way too many calories and was afraid I'd eat more.

Saturday I planned to call Brad after I ate breakfast to see if he was coming over, but he showed up while I was eating. I hadn't made anything for him. If he would have said he was coming over I would have made some for him.

After church he was supposed to go back to his house to do stuff. At first I urged him to leave but when I saw he didn't really want to go I stopped. We walked up to Safeway I bought some wine and got one of the new strawberry banana Vivannos at the little Starbucks store inside. It was okay, but I like the chocolate banana one better.

Then we went home and we pay-per-viewed Paul Blart: Mall Cop, and snacked on pork rinds (zero carbs!). The movie was better than I thought it would be, though certainly no masterpiece. I'd give it between a 6 and a 7 on a scale of 1-10.

After the movie we had dinner - grilled cheese sandwiches made with low-carb bread, fat-free cheese, and I had a slice of low-fat turkey breast on one of my sandwiches. Brad was of course the master cook - he knows how to make everything taste great! I had a Yoplait Light (Boston Cream Pie) yogurt and a granola bar from church for dessert. Before bed I pigged out on healthy stuff like cottage cheese.

Today we slept in a bit. Brad had coffee and toast. I just had coffee because I can't spare the calories. We walked to the train station, then walked from our stop to work. We stopped at WalMart to get more Diet Coke and sugar-free gum. :) We dropped off my stuff at work and since we were early we went for a walk in a local park for extra exercise and steps. Total walking time: about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

The money my sister supposedly sent to my checking account still isn't showing up even though it was long since taken out of my sister's account. It's been well over a week now! Why is the bank dragging its feet? Walden Farms has a sale on their products. I need salad dressing from them and the sale is over at the end of this month! Grrrr!

April is planning a trip to Oregon with Dad soon. I will have to go also to help clean out the house, etc. and use my vacation time to do it. I won't get a real vacation for the second year in a row, but I hope to play tourist in San Francisco for one day to relax. (It's great having a tourist destination in my backyard!) :) Right now I am trying to save my vacation time for the Oregon trip since cleaning out decades worth of stuff is going to be a big job for sis and I.

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Thursday, July 23, 2009

Fried Chicken & Donuts

Calories eaten yesterday: 1377
Fat: 29g (20%)
Carbs: 91g (29%)
Protein: 168g (51%)
Weight this morning: 130
Calories burned in exercise today: 262

I want to binge so bad today. The fried chicken place at the laundromat opened up in the last week (yes, there is a small restaurant inside the laundromat). One obese woman was chowing down on fried chicken, fries, and some sort of cake. The smell made me want to get my own. I just repeated my mantra: "The greasy fry, it does not lie, the truth is written on your thigh." That seemed to help.

I could see donuts in the shop and wanted to get one donut hole, but I resisted.

Exercise was walking to the laundromat and back, then down to the train station, then from my stop to work.

Weekend plans: besides church, nothing special. Tomorrow is grocery shopping, including chicken and salad. Come home, bake the chicken, and cut the salad while it's cooking.

Brad is busy packing and cleaning and may be moving and may not even come to my apartment to get picked up for church on Saturday. I'm planning a weekend alone except for church. I might pay-per-view a movie.

I'll be back Sunday with my weigh-in and how my weekend went.

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Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Family insanity

Calories eaten yesterday: 1190
Fat: 25g (20%)
Carbs: 76g (28%)
Protein: 148g (52%)
Weight this morning: 130
Calories burned in exercise today: 348

Made it to the gym today. Did an hour of weights and 30 minutes of cardio. I've been trying to do 40 minutes, but I needed the extra time to stop at the store today.

Anyway, I walked to work from the BART station (30 minutes), carrying a bunch of salad over one shoulder for more than half the distance.

Busy day at work - one of those days where I actually work for my pay, lol! Having great fun with the translators dropping out and calling boss J. and J. in Sacramento and another J. over the the TV station. Fun fun.

When that was all settled I called my sister because the money she wired still hasn't showed up (also ran a couple ideas past her about the apartment building she is overseeing for Dad). Sis said the money will be here and then proceeded to ream me out for 10 minutes about how irresponsible I am and how I should have renter's insurance and pay of my credit card every month and that an iPod isn't a necessity and it's not an investment like a house. Hello? This is NOT just a music player. It connects to the Internet and is a bit like a mini computer.

But all that doesn't matter. All that matters is that she can pretend to be my mother. I said I had a mother. She said "But not a very good one." Direct quote there and one of the worst things I have ever heard her say in my life! That was just mean and a horrible thing to say about mom. She was a good mom.

Called Dad to say hi. He was moved from the nursing home to a "family care home" where he should be happier. He was not in a good mood when I called, wants me out of the city I live in, and then railed about the economy. I tried to ask him about his new living arrangements, but it was hard to communicate. He was difficult to understand because he was slurring his words because of the Parkinson's, and he still doesn't have a hearing aid so it was hard for him to what I said.

*sigh* This is why I hate spending time with my family.

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Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Xena photo

Calories eaten yesterday: 1483
Fat: 35g (22%)
Carbs: 90g (25%)
Protein: 192g (53%)
Weight this morning: 131.4
Calories burned in exercise today: 192

Xena licks BradToday I'll share a photo of Xena preening Brad's face. Click it for a larger size. :)

I ate so many calories yesterday because I was starving. I ended up having a package of shirataki noodles (40 calories) and an extra chicken breast (220 calories). :-p Still just as hungry today, too. :( I even had breakfast this morning - Egg Beaters high in protein - and it didn't help much. Last time i was this hungry was because of a change in my thyroid dose. This time I can't blame that as I have been on Armour about a month now.

Kinda tired today after yesterday's 12 hour shift. Walked to the BART station, went into the City, checked my P.O. Box, then walked from my stop to work when I came back. I stopped at Pac N Save for Diet Coke and salad. Hopefully I can hit the gym tomorrow.

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Monday, July 20, 2009

Overtime & Health Screening

Calories eaten yesterday: 989
Fat: 24g (23%)
Carbs: 62g (27%)
Protein: 120g (50%)
Weight this morning: 134.8
Calories burned in exercise today: 175

I'm working overtime today from 11 am to 11 pm to cover the second half of Brad's shift. P. came in and covered the first half of the shift. Due to the overtime I can't make it to the gym of course. My exercise was walking to the BART station and then from my stop to work - about 1 hour total.

Tomorrow is my bi-monthly main run into San Francisco and then Wednesday I hope to make it to the gym so I can at least go once this week.

One other thing happened on Friday that I wanted to talk about, but yesterday's entry was too long already. On my way down to the BART station to go to Lafayette I passed Walgreens and they had a health screening van parked in the lot and offered free health screening to anyone. I almost didn't go, but then decided that this doesn't happen very often and found out it wouldn't take very long anyway.

In the van they first take you into a little area and do a finger stick to check glucose and total cholesterol. Then there is another little area where they take your blood pressure, weigh you, take your body fat percentage, and waist size. In the final little area they do a bone density scan using your heel (a spine check is more accurate, but not feasible for such a small area). They give you a printout of the results right away and give a quick rundown of what they mean. More info. is contained in the little booklet your results are in.

My results came out pretty good. I had eaten that day, but only salad and a cup of sugar-free Jello followed by the walk, so that came out normal even though it wasn't a fasting test.

Also, the body fat monitor they used was the same type Curves uses - the handheld Omron (photo). At home I use a Tanita body fat scale (photo) and it seems that I carry much more fat in my belly and thighs than in my upper body.

For anyone outside the U.S. reading this, the normal fasting blood glucose range here is 65-99. I know other countries use other measurements.

These are my results:
Blood pressure: 105/53 - about normal for me, normal being 99/59.
Glucose: 81 - I wasn't fasting, but hadn't eating many carbs.
Total cholesterol: 140 - good, and about normal for me.
Body composition (fat percentage): 19.1%. At home my scale says about 25%, so I carry more fat in my lower body.
Bone Mass Density: 1.5. Anything above a negative 1 (-1) is good.
BMI: 21.9 - totally within a normal weight range for my height.
Waist: 31". The recommendation for women is less than 35", so I am fine.

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Sunday, July 19, 2009

Week 108 Weigh-In

Start: 154
Week 1: 150 (-4) - Week 25: 137.6
Week 50: 138.4 - Week 75: 137.6
Week 100: 140 - Week 101: 138.4 (-1.6)
Week 102: 138.6 (+0.2) - Week 103: 139.4 (+0.8)
Week 104: 136.4 (-3) - Week 105: 137.8 (+1.4)
Week 106: 137.8 (-0) - Week 107: 138.2 (+0.4)
Week 108: 137.4 (-0.8)
Total loss since starting a low-fat diet: -16.6
Total loss since I began dieting and exercising in 2004: -68.6

Amazing I lost any weight with the amount I ate yesterday! :)

Ok, now to catch up on other stats.

Calories eaten Thursday: 1039
Fat: 18g (16%)
Carbs: 74g (30%)
Protein: 97g (38%)

Calories eaten Friday: 1417
Fat: 25g (17%)
Carbs: 84g (26%)
Protein: 112g (33%)

Weight Thursday morning: 130.4
Weight Friday morning: 130.4
Weight Saturday morning: 135.8
Weight this morning: 137.4

Calories burned in exercise Thursday: 324
Calories burned in exercise Friday: 117
Calories burned in exercise Saturday: 77
Calories burned in exercise today: 177

niece Marina, brother Ron, nephew Jebediah, sister April, & meFriday I had to spent time with my sister. To the right is the photo we took right before I left. Click the photo for a larger size. From left to right: niece Marina, brother Rob, nephew Jebediah, sister April, & me.

The day was stressful for me, but I survived. I took BART out to Lafayette and saw April and Eleanor. Then Rob picked us up at 3 and took us to his house. I stayed there until about 7:30.

By 7:30 they were getting ready to order dinner and I was supposed to meet Brad back at my house. I was starving. April, simply wanting to spend time with me with no regard for the fact that I was also hungry, asked me to stay and watch them eat (!). I knew that I would end up giving in and eating all the bad food they had planned (it was down to either pizza or Chinese), so I said I needed to leave. Rob gave me a ride home. When Brad came over we hung out for a while and then went to bed.

Saturday at the church potluck I ate way too many raviolis drowned in cheese sauce. They were just sooo good. After church Brad and I came home and did the grocery shopping that I normally do on Friday, but couldn't this Friday because of seeing my sister.

Then we walked part of the way to BART, then took the buses the rest of the way into Alameda. We stopped at Tuttimelon for frozen yogurt (I had a small chocolate with granola topping and Brad got gelato), then took the bus to the shopping center. We went to Applebee's and I had two Mochatinis and one glass of red zinfandel. Brad had a small beer and an iced tea. Then we went to Zeytinis and had a couple of their appetizers and two more glasses of wine each. We stopped at Safeway for a couple of items that my Safeway either no longer carries or or was out of.

We went home, stopping at Tuttimelon again on the way. I wanted more frozen yogurt; this time I got just the plain yogurt in a sugar cone. The banana we had bought at Safeway wasn't in our grocery bags, so Brad went up to Safeway to buy me another one (about a 10 minute walk each way). I was craving it which is why we'd bought it. I fixed him a mojito while he was gone.

Later we ended up getting into a fight. Brad wasn't hungry for dinner after that. I was. He made me some low-carb pancakes and went to bed. I ate the pancakes, then made myself a low-carb, low-fat turkey and cheese sandwich, and finished with three cups of cottage cheese.

Today Brad was really sweet to me. Because I couldn't prep veggies on Friday, I complained yesterday that there would be so much work for me to catch up on later this week. Brad got up early this morning (and let me sleep) and chopped and bagged the salad we bought yesterday, then even took the cucumber I'd bought and washed and cut those! I didn't even ask him to do that. He also scooped the cat's litter box. All that leaves for me is to take the celery and pull it apart into sticks and wash the outer stalks.

Brad is taking Tuesday off to work on his car and his upcoming move. He said he wanted tomorrow off too, so when we got in we talked to P. on shift and he said he can work 7-11 a.m. tomorrow. I will come it at 11 and work 12 hours. I soooo need the overtime so this is great! Overtime always comes before going to the gym because I always need money.

I have a little more to tell about Friday (not dealing with my sister), but I will save that for tomorrow's post.

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Friday, July 17, 2009

A response to my critics

I'm receiving more blog comments from critics. Let's get a few things straight since people seem to think I live some sort of high maintenance lifestyle.

1) The iPod is a big deal for me for the simple reason that I am NOT rich.
2) I live in a tiny studio apartment for which I struggle to pay the rent each month.
3) The only reason I can afford my gym membership is because I pre-paid 3 years when I moved out of my old apartment and received my security deposit back. This was back before things got really bad when the economy went south.
4) I have never claimed to be a perfect Christian. No Christian is perfect. We all have our demons and struggles. This blog is all of me - the good and the bad.

I don't even own a car. I take the bus or train or walk everywhere. Bus and train fares have gone up recently, grocery prices have gone up, and my pay rate at my employer - let's just say that no one got a "cost of living" adjustment this year.

My friend and I never go out to eat anymore unless it's someplace really cheap. I shop at WalMart for everything I can. I'd buy groceries there if it was a Super WalMart, but it is just a regular one. I buy shoes from Payless and usually only when they have a "buy one get one half off" sale.

I don't need anybody to finance my "lifestyle" because I have a simple lifestyle. Here's a YouTube video I made of my apartment so you can see what a "high maintenance" lifestyle I live. :-p

By the way, the laptop computer in the video was bought quite a while back, in better times. My old Mac lasted 9 years, but finally gave up the ghost. No one put one dime toward the new one except me. I paid it off by myself and it has long since been completely paid off.

Next, for those of you who think I drink too much, you are probably right. It's one of the demons I struggle with. When does "enough" become too much? I have severe depression, and while my medication helps a great deal, I have a tendency to resort to alcohol when things are crazy. However, I want to make it clear that I don't drink every day. My diet simply can't handle that many calories.

It's no secret that my sister and I don't get along. We have nothing in common and while I love the heck out of her, I don't like to hang out with her. She considers me the "weird" sister, sort of like how we made fun of Aunt Margaret when we were kids. Margaret and I are similar and I get viewed like her - never married, don't want kids, only a couple really close friends, and neither of us ever learned how to drive. I can be a bit anti-social. My sister doesn't understand me because she is a social butterfly and loves being married with kids. I'm happy for her, but it's not the life I want.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

My iPod holder and charger arrived!

Calories eaten yesterday: 1295
Fat: 26g (19%)
Carbs: 75g (24%)
Protein: 159g (51%)
Weight this morning: 130.4
Calories burned in exercise today: 324

me with new cell phoneHere's a photo of me with my new cell phone that came yesterday. Click the photo for a larger size. :)

Exercise today was walking to the laundromat and back. I took the long way around to avoid Fruitvale Ave. as much as possible (where my iPod was stolen last week). After putting the laundry away I walked down to the BART station, and then from my stop to work. 1 hour 53 minutes of total walking!

My new iPod holder came today, along with the charging jack I ordered! :) The cheap jack broke so I finally decided to get a proper one from Apple made of quality material. I'll keep it at work since I can charge my iPod on my computer when I am home.

And I love the new holder! It looks a lot like a wallet, but is so slim it easily fits in a pocket. Yay! :)

Tomorrow I'm seeing my sister. I know she's going to bug me again about moving to Seattle. :-p I wish she would lay off on that. I don't like Seattle and don't want to live there. (Nice place to visit - don't want to live there!) She also can't decide whether to treat me as a sister or a child. I hate it when she tries to play the part of my mother. I'm a grown woman.

Tomorrow I will post a response to some recent critical blog comments I've received.

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Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Sisters & Cell Phones

Calories eaten yesterday: 1097
Fat: 22g (19%)
Carbs: 70g (27%)
Protein: 143g (54%)
Weight this morning: 132.6
Calories burned in exercise today: 402

When to the gym and did an hour of weight training, 10 minutes on one of the new stationary bikes, and 30 minutes on one of the new ellipticals. Walked from BART to work for extra exercise.

My sister wants to see me. She's in town. So instead of buying groceries and prepping veggies for next week I get to see her, her baby, Eleanor, and Rob, Julie, and their baby. :-p *sigh* I hate family stuff.

In better news, my new cell phone came today! I get a $50 mail-in rebate, so my only final cost is the sales tax. They tax on the original price of the phone, so my cost is $27.30. This phone had a built in keyboard so now I can text much easier. :)

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Tuesday, July 14, 2009

iPhilosophize about my iPod

Calories eaten yesterday: 1211
Fat: 25g (20%)
Carbs: 71g (25%)
Protein: 162g (55%)
Weight this morning: 132.6
Calories burned in exercise today: 210

Today's exercise was just a lot of walking. I slept in and had some Egg Beaters for breakfast, then walked to the train station, and from there to work, stopping at WalMart for a flash drive for my computer. I can't afford it, but I need to backup my stuff in case of the worst case scenario of a hard drive crash. Hard drive crash=losing all my iTunes purchases.

Hotter than heck today! I had to stop at a gas station for a large Diet Coke.

Tomorrow's plan - hit the gym before work. :)
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I wanted to take some time to talk about the whole thing about my iPod. First of all, to respond to a comment, I wasn't aware that I needed to apologize for being a victim if crime. I have every right to feel sorry for myself because $370 went down the drain. Maybe that's a small thing to some of you, but for someone like me it is a huge amount of money - nearly a week's pay or half of one month's rent.

During church on Saturday I came across some Bible passages that might shed some light on what is going on. I know I have wandered a bit from God. I have not done what He wants me to do, and I have done what I should not do. I know I need to work on that. Maybe this is His way of getting my attention and hitting me where it really hurts.

No, He didn't make the kid steal my iPod. All He has to do is remove a little bit of His protection from me and evil will do what it can within the bounds He sets.

Proverbs 3 is one of my favorite Bible passages. It is where the "35" in one of my screen names "Newbirth35" comes from, and stands for Proverbs 3:5 (and onto verse 6). Well, later in that same chapter are a couple verses about discipline. I'll quote from the King James because there is no copyright on it:

My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. (Proverbs 3:11-12)

The cross-references for these verses led me to Hebrews 12, where verses 5-11 quote from Proverbs and expand further on this subject:

And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, 'My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.' If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

"But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.


Easier to read translation of verses 5-11.


Perhaps God wants this to be a wake up call for me to focus more on Him.

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Monday, July 13, 2009

My iPod Touch arrived (again)!!!

Calories eaten yesterday: 1084
Fat: 21g (18%)
Carbs: 94g (37%)
Protein: 116g (45%)
Weight this morning: 135
Calories burned in exercise today: 388

Went to the gym and did one hour of weight training followed by 40 minutes of cardio of one of the new elliptical machines. I walked to work from my train stop for extra steps and calories burned.

The new iPod Touch I ordered arrived today. Super fast shipping all the way from China (why can't they make it in Amierica?). The case I ordered also came, but it wasn't at all what I wanted. I got the return started with Apple. There will be a 10% restocking fee, plus the $6.85 it cost to UPS it back. :-p I settled on a case that specifically says it is made to be slipped in a pocket or purse. Hopefully that one will work out.

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Sunday, July 12, 2009

Week 107 Weigh-In

Start: 154
Week 1: 150 (-4) - Week 25: 137.6
Week 50: 138.4 - Week 75: 137.6
Week 100: 140 - Week 101: 138.4 (-1.6)
Week 102: 138.6 (+0.2) - Week 103: 139.4 (+0.8)
Week 104: 136.4 (-3) - Week 105: 137.8 (+1.4)
Week 106: 137.8 (-0) - Week 107: 138.2 (+0.4)
Total loss: -15.8 (since starting a low-fat diet)
Total loss since I began dieting and exercising in 2004: -67.8

I ended up binging on Thursday after my iPod was taken. I sometimes binge when I am stressed. It doesn't surprise me to show a gain after that.

Ok, now to catch up on other stats.

Calories eaten Friday: 1034
Fat: 11g (10%)
Carbs: 57g (22%)
Protein: 63g (24%)

Weight Thursday morning: 131.8
Weight Friday morning: n/a (due to binge)
Weight Saturday morning: 136.4
Weight this morning: 138.2

Calories burned in exercise Thursday: 79
Calories burned in exercise Friday: 64
Calories burned in exercise Saturday: 77
Calories burned in exercise today: 204

After having my iPod Touch stolen on Thursday and working a 12 hour shift at work I was still wide awake. I got off at 3 a.m. and Brad drove me home in the company car (since his is still broken). I came home and took my shower as usual. I stayed up all night doing work around the house. I swept the floor, wrapped the baby gift and birthday gifts for my sister, then dug through the closet (arranged one side a bit in the process) and found the bucket. I got the mop off the back steps and mopped the floor. I couldn't find any Pine Sol so I poured some Clorox spray cleaner into the hot water.

The grocery store opened at 6 a.m. so I went and got groceries. I bought chicken, veggies, and salad and came home and cooked the chicken and prepped the veggies.

Saturday there were only eight people at church. Both the pastors were gone and their children were either with them or at summer camp. The people who did come to church either don't have children or they are grown. We had a long reflective service sitting in a circle, and skipped Sabbath School. Brad and I were home by 2 pm - much earlier than the usual time of 3 pm or later. The service made me think about some stuff, but I will save that for a later post.

Brad got up early on Sunday to meet someone at work. They never showed up so he just hang out at work. I walked down the the train station alone, took the train one stop, and walked from that stop to work. I stopped for salads at the grocery store on the way and ended up carrying a very heavy bag for a good portion of the rest of the distance to work. :-p Brad met me very near work and carried the bag the rest of the way. I was already weighted down with my Pullman backpack.

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Thursday, July 09, 2009

My iPod Touch was stolen!

Calories eaten yesterday: 1287
Fat: 26g (20%)
Carbs: 81g (27%)
Protein: 166g (54%)
Weight this morning: 131.8
Calories burned in exercise today: 79

My iPod Touch was stolen today! I was waking home from the laundromat and someone just graabed it off my belt loop, clip and all, and ran off. There is nothing I can do except order another and the first hasn’t even been paid out yet. Mom couldn’t help me, Dad said to call April (who’s in charge of Dad’s money), and she just chewed me out. Great family, eh?

I didn’t feel like doing any walking after that, especially walking past the area it happened, so I took the bus all the way into work.

Why does God allow bad thing to happen to His own? I don’t know except to say that if He protected us then people would because Christians not out of love for God, but simply for what they can get out of it.

I binged today because of the stress. :(

How did I gain a pounds since yesterday?!? I ate more than usual, but it was all healthy stuff like salad. My body really hates me when I gain weight eating lettuce. :(

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Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Week 107, Day 4

Calories eaten yesterday: 1047
Fat: 21g (19%)
Carbs: 66g (26%)
Protein: 142g (55%)
Weight this morning: 130.8
Calories burned in exercise today: 390

Went to the gym and did an hour of weight training and 40 minutes of cardio. I did 30 of those minutes on one of the new stair climbers (photo). That really gets my heart rate up! They used to have only one and have finally brought in several more.

Then I did 10 minutes on the treadmill, mostly just walking. After the gym I walked to work from the train station. I was SO gosh darn hungry so I stopped at Pac N Save and bought several salads (only one for today of course!).

Tomorrow I plan to do laundry and then I am working 12 hours from 3 pm until 3 am Friday morning. I plan to go home after that, take a shower, and sleep late. Friday afternoon I'll buy groceries.

I ordered some BCAA powder online yesterday. (BCAAs stand for "branched chain amino acids" - very good for building muscle. I add a heaping teaspoon to my protein shakes. Here's more info on BCAAs.) I feel they help augment my protein shakes to protect and build muscle. I think next time I'll pay a little extra and get the stuff I've bought before.

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Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Week 107, Day 3

Calories eaten yesterday: 1236
Fat: 28g (21%)
Carbs: 78g (26%)
Protein: 160g (53%)
Weight this morning: 132.4
Calories burned in exercise today: 195

Did my bi-monthly City run today to get my mail. The property check was there so I deposited that. Exercise was walking to the train station, and then from the train station to work on the return trip. I stopped at WalMart to get some stuff. They had the new Pledge fabric sweeper. I've seen it advertised as good for picking up pet hair, so I'll give it a try.

Tomorrow I hope to hit the gym again.

I gave me new boots a test run today by doing all my walking in them. They seem pretty comfy so far. The big toe on my left foot is a bit irritated, but that could be my socks.

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Monday, July 06, 2009

Buses, Boots, and Busting Butt

Calories eaten yesterday: 921
Fat: 20g (20%)
Carbs: 63g (28%)
Protein: 117g (51%)
Weight this morning: 134.6
Calories burned in exercise today: 348

XenaLet's start with a random picture of my cat Xena for the heck of it. Click it for a bigger size. :)

As you can see from yesterday's weigh-in I didn't lose any weight last week. But considering that I didn't exactly stick to my diet at the church potluck I'm happy to remain the same weight. I ate way too many graham crackers and dried fruit mix at church. (Bad Victoria!)

My AC Transit pass seems to have been demagnetized. I tried to use it last night to get home and a "misread" message came up. The bus driver finally waved me on. Since sometimes one buses' reader can be messed up I tried it again this morning when I went to the gym. Again a misread. I asked the driver about where the AC Transit offices are and it turns out they are close to my gym. I went there before the gym and had to fill out a form and wait two weeks. They will send me a replacement for the number of rides I had left. :-p At least I got the woman into giving me a one ride ticket (came with a 25 cent ticket to make up for the new fare), so I can get home tonight and grab a new card.

The hiking boots (photo) I ordered from REI came today! I hope they work out for me. I'm trying to break them in right now. The diabetic test strips I ordered on eBay also came today. :)

Today I hit the gym and did one hour of weight training (I love weight training!) and 30 minutes cardio. They had these new Precor cardio machine that were kind of like ellipticals (with the moving arms and everything). It's like this one, only without the TV screen. It gave me a good workout and my heart rate was up in the cardio range where I want it. :)

My gym also got a bunch of new stairclimbers so now I have no excuse to not use them.

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Sunday, July 05, 2009

Week 106 Weigh-In

Start: 154
Week 1: 150 (-4) - Week 25: 137.6
Week 50: 138.4 - Week 75: 137.6
Week 100: 140 - Week 101: 138.4 (-1.6)
Week 102: 138.6 (+0.2) - Week 103: 139.4 (+0.8)
Week 104: 136.4 (-3) - Week 105: 137.8 (+1.4)
Week 106: 137.8 (-0)
Total loss: -16.2 (since starting a low-fat diet)

Body fat on Tanita scale:
Year start: 25.9%
Last test (May): 25.8%
This month: 25.4%

Ok, now to catch up on other numbers.

Calories eaten Thursday: 1361
Fat: 27g (19%)
Carbs: 81g (25%)
Protein: 149g (44%)

Calories eaten Friday: 1507
Fat: 22g (14%)
Carbs: 71g (19%)
Protein: 156g (42%)

Weight Thursday morning: 131.4
Weight Friday morning: 131.4
Weight Saturday morning: 132.8
Weight this morning: 137.8

Calories burned in exercise Thursday: 283
Calories burned in exercise Friday: 161
Calories burned in exercise Saturday: 204
Calories burned in exercise today: 0

It was a long and horrible July 4th. Friday (July 3rd) was okay and pretty unremarkable. I bought groceries and puttered around the house putting the groceries away and prepping veggies.

Saturday after church Brad and I walked from my apartment all the way to Alameda Towne Center. We stopped along the way at Starbucks so I could get a skinny iced latte and at Tuttimelon for frozen yogurt (for me) and gelato (for Brad).

We planned to go to New Zealander for dinner, but they closed the kitchen for the holiday and only had drinks. Brad had a beer and I had a glass of wine (Brad paid for the first glass). We went with the backup plan of Tony Romas at Jack London Square, where the fireworks show would be. I was craving a nice steak. But when we got to Jack London, Tony Romas had closed - no longer in business. We tried a couple of other restaurants that would have steak, but they were too expensive.

I was pretty upset at this point. We ended up at a Mexican restaurant, but after changing my salad order a couple of times I ended up just having a side salad and two glasses of wine. The waiter was very kind about the changes I made and when he messed up the ticket (he charged me for the vegetarian salad [that I had cancelled] and left off the wine) he gave me one glass of wine free for the trouble so I only paid for the salad and gave him a nearly 100% tip (the salad was only $4 and I gave him a $4 tip).

Anyway, at this point I was too upset to care about the fireworks. I told Brad he could stay and watch them if he wanted, but I wasn't interested any longer. We ended up going back to Applebee's. We left a little before midnight, ran to catch our bus to the train station, and took the last bus home from there. Good timing with that or we would have had to take a cab!

At Applebee's I finally got my steak and veggies. Brad ordered the "2 for $20" deal. I ate two cheesesticks from the appetizer and nibbled at his french fries. To drink I had a Mochatini, a Caramel Appletini, two glasses of wine, and Diet Coke. I also had more wine when we got home and am a bit hungover today. When I am depressed I tend to drink way too much.

Today I am at work as usual, but did no exercise and have decided to take it easy for one day even though there were plenty of opportunities to walk. Hopefully I will feel good tomorrow and can go to the gym.

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Thursday, July 02, 2009

July 4th weekend Dead Ahead...

Calories eaten yesterday: 1246
Fat: 25g (19%)
Carbs: 84g (28%)
Protein: 158g (53%)
Weight this morning: 131.4
Calories burned in exercise today: 283

Exactly the same weight today as one week ago! And I have been so good - eating light, lots of exercise, mostly kept to my plan on Saturday and making it a cheat day instead of a binge. All that and not one ounce lost! :(

Walked to the laundromat and back, then down to the train, went one stop, and walked from the train station to work. I stopped at WalMart for some essentials because it's payday.

I also downloaded a bunch of iTunes music - some Michael Jackson, greatest hits from the 80's by various artists, and two songs by George Michael.

This weekend is July 4th. It'll be my last change to see fireworks for the next several years (assuming I am still working at Family Radio) so Brad and I are going to Jack London Square to have dinner and drinks and watch the fireworks.

I did okay with my cheating last weekend. Now to see how I do this weekend! Yike! Wish me luck. God only knows what kind of bad food will be at the potluck after church this Saturday!

Next Thursday the overnight girl is going to a concert so I'll be here until 3 a.m. Friday morning. Bleh. But I need the money badly.

For now, I'm putting all my updates about how I feel on the Armour thyroid medication here. The date will be updated weekly so it always stays on the front page on this blog. There is also a link to it in the sidebar. Updates are made to the post as I desire.

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Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Bus and Train Fare Went Up Today

Calories eaten yesterday: 1058
Fat: 22g (19%)
Carbs: 65g (26%)
Protein: 140g (55%)
Weight this morning: 131.8
Calories burned in exercise today: 388

Bleh on my weight, but oh well. I just need to keep on going.

I barely eked in for my monthly step goal yesterday. I beat my entirely monthly goal (315,000 steps for June) by a mere 1500 or so steps.

BART raised fare prices today and there was no warning, and nothing on their Website or from the official update list I subscribe to. My $1.50 ticket wouldn't let me through the gate and I found out the base fare went up to $1.75 as of today. Why can't they let the public know? There were no warnings, postings, fliers, etc.! Gar! AC Transit bus fare also went up today from $1.75 to $2; Muni went from $1.50 to $2.

Went to the gym today. Did one hour of weights and 40 minutes of cardio. Walked to work from the BART station and I am BEAT! Tomorrow I plan to do laundry. Should get some good steps in.

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